If only for a moment…
Just a random thought I had while I watched the film. To see through the eyes of someone stuck in the madness. Someone who wasn't a great hero, just an unknown victim. A view from within Middle Earth we don't often see.
The young girl Bronwyn watched quietly from a dilapidated window sitting amongst the wreckage of Dale. Watching with her sharp green eyes as a great elven army and a group of armed townsmen moved forward on the newly conquered mountain of Erebor.
It bothered her greatly, watching them march forward. She was perhaps young, but she was no fool. She did however consider them to be great fools.
More war, more death. The very thought made her shiver deeper into her coat. Had there not been enough? There had already been too much bloodshed. She did not want to see anymore.
She had been there, of course at the destruction of Laketown. Only just days before had she survived the attack of Smaug. She had seen carnage, she had heard the horrifying screams, and she had lost many she once knew.
Her grandmother, her only caregiver had been amongst the fallen. Perished in the fire that had consumed her small home. Bronwyn herself had only just escaped by jumping from a high window into the icy depths of water below.
Now alone, she stood. No longer did she have a family to her name. Her parents were lost to her many years before. Her grandmother now joining them, existing only in her memory.
It hurt and made her soul ache. So much heartache had surrounded her, she could hardly bare it.
The ideas of men were silly. Both man and elf alike. Why did we fight over such trivial things as gold and jewels?
Could these rocks keep you warm in the winter?... No.
Could they feed your family?... Of course not.
Would they return your love, and fill your heart with true joy?... No, they would never.
What true use did they have? To her they were pointless, they held no real value.
The young girl saw no point in this confrontation with the dwarves. She was however smart enough to keep that thought to herself.
Her heart however did hold a great anger towards them. If it was not for them none of this would have happened. She would still have Lake Town and still have her grandmother to hold. None of the townspeople had asked for such suffering. Of course such was the way of life. The poor and the voiceless held no say in their lives or deaths.
The scenes continued to unfold before her. She couldn't really see of course, only saw shapes in the distance. They had reached the entry to the mountain but had yet to show signs of attack. She could only pray that some kind of bargain would be made. Let it be settled and let it be done.
The survivors did not need battles, they needed hope and food to fill their bellies. She herself had no idea what her life would be like now. Having lost all she had. She did not know how to continue but she knew she would.
'Tough like a weed,' her grandmother would always say 'to be able to grow and live on in even the most difficult of places.'
She was going to be that weed, if only to honor her memory. But selfishly she also wanted to feel happiness again, even if only for a moment. With new grief heavy on her heart, she was unsure how much pain she was capable to bear.
Suddenly the mood changed, others looking through other windows began to mutter their surprise. Over a hill arrived a large collection of troops, she squinted in focus to attempt to make out their finer details.
Dwarves! An army of dwarves! Suddenly the murmurs became louder as everyone began to come to the same realization.
Her heart thudded harder, this was bad. The battle now looked to be on a more equal footing. Now only more lives to be lost and more angered and mourning hearts to be shared. Why did we fight amongst each other so?
Bronwyn did not believe the races to be so different. We all loved, and we all bled red. She could not understand. Not that she had met many races, other than her own kind in her short life. She saw elves earlier that day of course, but she could not have found it within herself to be interested too distracted by a heavy heart.
She decided she no longer wanted to watch. Why continue to watch such distressing things. So deciding to walk along the streets of Dale until she found a small spot out of the way to sit. Leaning against the stone wall she was concealed from sight. Happy that way she closed her eyes. Letting happy memories fly before her eyes.
Her mother and father, their faces became harder and harder to remember with time. She remembered her mother's smell though, which to some may seem odd. She could recall smell of home cooking, like freshly baked bread. It was a comforting smell, full of warmth. Her father liked to hold her hand. She liked to recall that fact about him. His large hand clasped around her small one.
Her grandmother told her stories. Some make believe, some truth. She did not want to forget those either.
These thoughts of course were bittersweet. But she allowed her mind to wander on them for a little longer.
A horrified scream cut through the cold wind, quickly followed by other similar and worrisome sounds. Bronwyn jumped at the unexpected sound and quickly standing and unthinkingly moving towards the commotion. Soon she found herself returning near to the window spot she had visited earlier. A horrified scene lay before the wreckage of dale.
A battle was being fought below, not between elf or dwarf but something much more sinister. An Orc army it seemed. Foul and hideous creatures squawked and fought. Their horrible calls carrying to her ears. Everyone around her had begun to fear, many scrambled to gather their surviving families.
Her heart began to flutter like a birds wings, her breath oddly caught in her throat.
What were they to do? Should these orcs decided to turn upon the city of olds wreckage, holding so many of her people. They were defenseless with the capable men already fighting amongst the battlefield. No weapons either, many could not even walk. Incapacitated by burns and many other injuries.
However Bronwyn did not need imagine the horror for long. More hideous creatures crawl from holes amongst the mountains heading straight towards Dale. There were too many, far too many to count. Her blood ran cold as they closed in, running with a surprising speed towards the townsfolk.
She did as all the others were now doing. She ran. Picking up her skirts already tattered and torn and ran. As fast as her feet could possibly carry her. However she held no idea of where she was going, as unfortunately the town of dale seemed to be arranged to feel like some sort of cruel maze.
Others ran too, screaming in fear around her. Turning a corner she found herself arriving at a dead end. The small girl searched for another path, her eyes desperately darting for an escape route.
From behind her the loud sound of crumbling stone and orchish cries had reached her ears. They had come too quickly, no one had time to prepare or flee.
This girl was no soldier, she had never so much as held a blade. She could run though, she was small and fast. However, at that point with no sense of direction she was more likely to run into an orcish blade than an escape.
She made a choice, one which she knew could result in her death. She found a small room partially crumbled amongst the wreckage at the dead end corner and hid. She became as small as she could, wrapping her arms around herself and stilled. As if she had turned to stone.
Her body shook slightly in the shock of it all but she tried her hardest to control her breathing. In and out, In and out. Nice and quiet, softly and quietly she repeated in her mind childishly.
She heard the orcs run past her, sounds of the townspeople being struck down. Children crying until they too became silent. She tried not to imagine the horror which had befallen them.
She stayed still, did not dare to move.
Hoping and praying that someone may soon come and save her. They were not alone is this battle, elves, dwarves and men fought in their defense. There was still hope that such an evil could be defeated. All she had to do was wait it out, to be invisible.
At a younger age she would play hide and seek with the other children. She had always been victorious. Finding small spaces to squeeze into. Showing a patience beyond her years and waiting until all had been found.
That was all she had to do now, hide and wait. Just like a game, she reasoned with herself.
She waited for a long time, listening with dread to the sounds around her. Hours passed and she still sat undetected. Left alone to her own thoughts.
When this was over she wanted fresh bread, no... A picnic basket full of pastries and sweets. With a green field to play in, a friend to laugh with and they would make daisy chains. They would sing silly songs and dance and skip through the trees…
There would be no crying, no sadness. No one would be in pain there. Of course, she would want a husband eventually too. Someone who spoke sweetly with her and smiled often. Her family would be there waiting for her too in this make believe world. Her mother would hug her tightly and her father would hold her hand.
Her eyes filled with tears. She wished with all her heart that such a time would come.
Perhaps it was because she was so caught up in her thoughts and she had mistakenly made a noise. But all of a sudden no longer was she hidden, her presence had been noticed.
A mangled hand shot through the rubble and grabbed a handful of the girls' hair. It pulled harshly and she cried out as it dragged her from the hiding place.
It was ugly, with rotted teeth and sickly grey skin. It smiled viciously at the young girl it held. Sweet and innocent, just how he liked them. It was a lucky find for him.
He grabbed her by the arms roughly and shook her. She went back and forth like a rag doll. He threw to the ground, her arms quickly bruising from the iron grip.
She turned as she hit ground and immediately tried to crawl away, the orc was not pleased by that.
Grabbing her legs this time he turned her over and pulled her back towards him. Then by holding her legs in one large hand he reached for his dagger.
"I reckon I'll slice ya," it spoke to her with a wicked smile "Nice and slow.."
She noticed other orcs around too, they had overrun the place. Some looked to be cheering her captor on. It was a distressing scene. Hope had left this place, just as it had left her. She had a resigned acceptance of what was to come.
Let it be fast. Let me return to those I love, she prayed, unsure what would await her after this life.
She felt blade cut her stomach, it hurt at first. It felt deep, though not quite enough to die straight away. But she felt the blood seep. It strangely did not bother the young girl as much as it should.
She looked above to the sky, it was a cloudy day. She wished it was blue sky, she much preferred it that way.
The knife now sat at the base of young Bronwyn's collarbone, they meant to slit her throat. She knew that would be a fatal wound. Not wanting to see his face above her as the last sight she saw she closed her eyes.
Mother, father, grandmother. Mother, father, grandmother. She repeated their names and imagined their faces. Mother, father, grandmother. Mother, father, grandmother.
The pain never came, and she did no longer feel the cool blade but a heavy weight fell atop of her.
The orc who sliced her stomach now laid on top of her. Heavy and unmoving and it only made it harder to breath. She knew it was dead as its glassy eyes stared into hers.
The others orcs around her too had also fallen she noted. Arrows stood from their backs.
The weight from her was lifted, which was a nice relief. She did not want to look into that monsters face for a moment longer.
She was gifted with a much fairer face above her. It was an elf. She had never seen one so close.
He hand long blond hair and pleasing features from what she could see from under his helmet. She felt his hand touch the wound on her stomach, in an effort to stop the bleeding.
She smiled faintly, Bronwyn had once been quite curious of elves. Creatures of great beauty, skilled warriors, gifted with immortality. They were so unlike her, and they fascinated her so.
The elf above her saw her smile but did not understand. The battle had been near won when he saw her, his kin had been trying their best to slay the orc's that had taken to the remnants of dale. He saw the foul creatures above her and had come to her aid.
It seemed though he was perhaps too late. She had suffered a fatal wound, and she bled heavily. It was hard for him to see, her life force fading. She looked to be very young, and with a face of such innocence. One such as her should have never seen this horror.
He would stay with her now, he knew it would not be much longer. She would not be alone.
"Can you stay with me" She suddenly whispered, her voice was soft and young.
He knew enough of the common tongue to understand. He nodded unable to deny anything asked of him by the sweet voice.
"I will stay." He whispered back to her kindly as he stroked her hair away from her face.
"Good. I would hate to be alone." The brave girl spoke while smiling faintly.
He supported her in his arms and whispered an elvish song quietly in her ear she smiled when she heard it, saying how it was very pretty indeed.
It was hard to watch her. He did not know what else to do, but sing a lullaby his mother once sung to him. Hoping to provide her with some comfort.
He had never seen so many innocents slaughtered. The children of men had suffered greatly on this day. His heart was pained by such grief.
Others of his company had looked on to the pair, with sad eyes.
None could bear the thought of such suffering, should it have happened to their children.
Bronwyn laid there strangely content in the stranger's arms. He continued to sing softly to her, and she was greatly comforted by this. She had always liked to sing, so she was happy to hear such a beautiful song as a goodbye.
Her eyes drifted close and she felt peaceful. She felt comforted and she breathed deeply only to smell fresh bread. Such a familiar smell to her. Someone gripped her hand also, soft and strong.
Mother, Father, Grandmother.
But this time it wasn't a comforting thought. It was a greeting.
The soldier elf closed her eyes gently. She looked peaceful, as she took her last breath. She even looked to be smiling.